As we announced recently, Inside Social Apps InFocus 2011, our second conference on the future of monetization on social platforms, is happening January 25th in San Francisco.

Today we are excited to announce that Facebook CTO Bret Taylor will be joining us for a fireside chat on the Facebook Platform 2011 roadmap at Inside Social Apps. There’s no shortage of big questions facing the future of the Facebook Platform, and following up with our in-depth discussion with him in the middle of the year, we’re happy to have him joining us to talk about the way Facebook is approaching the key issues for the year ahead.

We’ll address crucial topics for developers about Facebook’s Platform-level priorities around engagement, distribution, monetization, and the balance between on- and off-Facebook.com services. We’ll also look at larger questions affecting the way the Platform will expand in 2011 following the launch of the Open Graph this year, including publisher services such as Instant Personalization, the Like button, and other plugins. Finally, we’ll also discuss the growing importance of Facebook’s mobile partnerships and mobile platform services, and what that means for mobile app developers in 2011.

Who’s Speaking?

At Inside Social Apps InFocus 2011, executives and experts from Facebook, Google, leading social networks, mobile platforms, social game and app developers, media companies, virtual goods and payment services, and investors will be discussing the future of social platforms and virtual goods monetization in social games and apps.

Social applications first emerged in 2007, and are today maturing into a global media ecosystem. With the launch of the Facebook Platform, followed by platforms from MySpace and other social networks, developers worldwide could leverage the social graph to create new kinds of social experiences never before possible.

Now, three and a half years later, what started out as sheep throwing and vampire biting has quickly become a profitable billion-dollar industry, punctuated by numerous major acquisitions by the world’s leading media companies and developers. But now, new challenges are emerging, affecting big players and new entrants alike.

Inside Social Apps will investigate the latest trends and challenges for social applications, and look at what’s to come for developers throughout the space – including the growth of virtual goods and social applications on mobile devices.

What are the biggest uncertainties and opportunities facing the future of social games and applications in 2011, and who is leading the way?